Don't Leave Home
by Aja Killian
Summary: Sirius is confined to Grimmauld Place... and decides to take it out on everybody by being gasp nice to them! But what happens when he takes one step in over his head? one shot


Moping about it considerably draining, for taking so little energy initially; anyone who has ever done this so-called "moping" would be inclined to agree.

Sirius Black was finding this out the hard way. As with most things, the hard way to find out what effects moping about has on your energy level is to actually do so, and Sirius had been doing some top-notch moping recently.

To get his energy back up, he would talk. That had always somehow gotten Sirius riled up… especially when he spoke to somebody—or something—that could not exactly speak back to him. Hence, Sirius found himself holed up in his room, chatting away at Buckbeak more often than he would have liked.

"Rats were better than all this cooped up nonsense." Sirius said bitterly, and Buckbeak chirped in agreement. Grimmauld Place was, well, _grim_, and a terrible living environment. Sirius craved freedom.

When Dumbledore told him that he was on no condition to leave the house, he was understandably upset. But Dumbledore's orders were Dumbledore's orders, and nobody ever fought them, so Sirius kept in his mind the reason he could not leave. He often chased circles around himself in his head, like a puppy chasing his tail, and it often went something along these lines:

If he left, he would be caught. If he was caught, he would be killed… if he was lucky. Maybe even thrown back to the dementors. If that happened, nobody would be around to protect Harry and the others except for Remus, and Lupin's protection always had been a little shoddy around that one time of the month. That would make him think of how much he would love to romp once more out in the great forests with Lupin as a dog and wolf, and the whole circle began again.

Thus, Sirius continued, never quite satisfied, but not dissatisfied enough to leave.

And then, one day, shortly after Harry had arrived, Sirius came up with a plan of such remarkable brilliance, he could not believe himself. He told Buckbeak of his idea, and he could have sworn the hippogriff had nodded excitedly.

He would make his _own_ freedom, by breaking the monotony.

Easy as it sounded, it really was not. For two days he went around, looking for something to do to stir things up a little.

He cooked a good meal before Molly had even made it into the kitchen for lunch once. Her surprise at his helpfulness was noted, and he returned for prowling in search of.

He helped Ginny with her homework. He brought a bouquet of flowers to his mum's portrait, with a teasing smile, and she immediately blew up at him. He talked with Arthur for hours about Muggle inventions. He pointed Ron in the direction of Hermione's diary—but, being "noble", Ron never read it, just slept with it under his pillow for a night or two and returned it.

It was his next good deed that surprised himself especially.

He had decided to do something good for Hermione that day, as he had not yet done so. She did not seem to need it these days, as she had been in a generally good mood—odd, for Hermione—but it was her turn around the great wheel of fortune nonetheless. He looked in on Harry and Ron, who were deeply involved in chess, Ginny acting the part of cheerleader, but Hermione was not in with them… he walked aimlessly around the house, before hearing a slight humming that sounded like the distant, though-ridden hum of a certain fifteen-year-old witch.

He turned the nearest corner, and there she was, walking away from him, allowing her left shoulder to brush occasionally and nonchalantly against the wall. Her hair was up and terribly frazzled, but Sirius kind of thought her wild hair cute, in an odd manner. He smiled, wondering what he should do, and began walking towards her.

She heard his footfalls, and froze, wheeling around. Her wand hand involuntarily twitched for her pocket. He held up his hands, open, and gave her a teasing smile. Thankfully, it did not infuriate her as it had his mother.

"No need to be so jumpy." Sirius insisted in a whisper, allowing his smile to grow. He saw her soften a little. "I was just wondering what you were doing out… and looking so happy." _You ought to smile more often. Your face softens and you're much more approachable… quite pretty, actually_.

She looked almost cornered. "I was just…" her voice trailed into nothingness, and she looked around a little before replying with a wry smile and shrug, "Well, I'm happy that my birthday's coming up."

_Ah, so that's it_. Sirius thought, smile growing afresh. Sirius had a shadow of an idea flitting across the back of his brain, but he had not yet quite grasped it completely. "Right." He allowed his smile to turn into an impish one. "Your sixteenth, right?"

Sirius fully expected Hermione to give him her suspicious stare, but she just opened up even more, giving her face a bigger, happier smile. She looked a little nervous, but Sirius hardly noticed. "Yes." She said.

The idea exploded at the back of Sirius's eyes, in a mass of color and excitement, and he found a breath was difficult after that. True, the logic in his impending action was not apparent, but he did not care in the slightest at that moment.

"Sixteenth is the one where you're supposed to be kissed, right?"

Hermione sighed a little and shrugged wearily. "It doesn't seem that way this year."

Sirius also sighed. It was obvious that Ron was doing nothing to speed along Hermione's romantic process, and something about Harry and Hermione being together just felt _wrong_. The sigh was short-lived on both their parts, however, because Sirius so swiftly put into action his plan, he had no chance to second-guess himself.

And his lips were against hers.

She gasped, pulling them away, but he was already moving back, anyhow. He had had no thought of _really_ kissing Hermione—he did not, after all, want her actually having anything for him. However, from the mixture of surprise and hidden delight in her expression, it looked like she might anyway. Sirius gave her a smile.

She looked so absolutely adorable—he had to smirk. She opened her mouth, almost defiantly, and began to stutter helplessly.

"What was… w-what… w-was…" She began, hands twitching in an attempt to come up with one of Hermione's vigorous hand gestures that would actually fit this situation, besides, perhaps, that of throttling Sirius or pinching herself.

"That," Sirius said, and hilarity filled him up, almost causing him to flush, "was an early birthday present. From me."

Leaving her, nonplussed, in the hallway, and mouth still tingling slightly—he had not kissed anyone, of course, in a number of very long years—he walked off, wondering if his lips still even worked. He pursed them, and began whistling.

_A/N: Sorry it took me so long! There was a big Hurricane Rita scare down here, and they had to cancel school... hope you enjoyed, and the Sequel is on its way!_


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